1. Moussa Syed complained to the Independent Press Standards
Organisation that Mail Online breached Clause 1 (Accuracy) of the Editors’ Code
of Practice in an article headlined “White van driver injures at least 10
people after ploughing into a crowd outside London’s Finsbury Park mosque where
hate cleric Abu Hamza once preached as Muslims finish their evening prayers”,
published on 19 June 2017.

2. The article reported a breaking news story, that
worshipers leaving a mosque in Finsbury Park had been hit by a van.

3. The complainant said that the attack did not take place
outside Finsbury Park Mosque, it took place at a different mosque, which was
not connected to Abu Hamza. He said that the reference to Abu Hamza in the
headline carried an implication that the attack was justifiable.

4. The publication said that it did not intend to cause any
distress or upset by reporting on the tragic incident. It said that the article
was a breaking news story, of which it had received information from several
reputable news agencies, late at night, that the attack had taken place outside
a mosque in Finsbury Park, believed to be Finsbury Park Mosque. It said that
there was initial confusion as the two buildings are very close in proximity,
and worshipers had been leaving both buildings at the time. It said that as
soon as it was informed that the attack had occurred outside the Muslim Welfare
House, it amended the headline and article to make this clear. Furthermore, the
publication said that the link between Abu Hamza and Finsbury Park Mosque is
well-documented and in reporting this, it did not intend to imply that the
attack was in any way justified.

5. The publication said that the version of the article
under complaint remained online for only 22 minutes before being
amended, and that it had also added the following clarification as a footnote
to the article:

“An earlier version of this article bore a headline which
stated the victims had been attacked outside the Finsbury Park Mosque, where
Abu Hamza once preached. This was based on initial reports from reputable news
agencies, although it has since been clarified that the attack took place
closer to the nearby Muslim Welfare House. It is also the case, as we made
clear in a subsequent article, that in recent years the Mosque has become known
as a beacon for community relations and that the Abu Hamza connection is
therefore purely historical. We are happy to make this clear, and apologise for
any contrary impression given”.

Relevant Code provisions

6. Clause 1 (Accuracy)

i) The Press must take care not to publish inaccurate,
misleading or distorted information or images, including headlines not
supported by the text.

ii) A significant inaccuracy, misleading statement or
distortion must be corrected, promptly and with due prominence, and — where
appropriate — an apology published. In cases involving IPSO, due prominence
should be as required by the regulator.

Findings of the Committee

7. The article reported on a significant breaking news story
which had occurred overnight, and there was initial uncertainty as to where the
attack had taken place. Other news agencies had reported that the attack had taken
place outside Finsbury Park Mosque, and the publication was of the reasonable
belief that this was accurate, at the time. The publication had taken
sufficient care to ensure the accuracy of this information. Furthermore, there
were two mosques in Finsbury Park which were within close proximity, and
worshipers had been leaving both buildings at the time. It was not known which
mosque the attacker was intending to target, and, as such, the Committee did
not consider that the reference to Finsbury Park Mosque was significantly
misleading. Nevertheless, as soon as the publication was made aware that the
attack had in fact taken place outside the Muslim Welfare House it promptly
amended the headline and the article to reflect this, and added a footnote to the
article to make this amendment clear. The version of the article under
complaint remained online for only 22 minutes. While the Committee did
not establish a breach of Clause 1, it welcomed the publication’s clarification
on this point.

8. Abu Hamza was the former imam of Finsbury Park Mosque who
had been convicted of terrorism related offences. The publication was entitled
to report the connection between Abu Hamza and Finsbury Park Mosque and the
Committee did not consider that the article was inaccurate on this point. There
was no breach of Clause 1.

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